Petri Hawkins-Byrd (born Petri Adonis Byrd[1]; November 29, 1957) [2][3] is an American television personality known for his role as the bailiff on the television show Judge Judy. His main role on the show is to introduce the cases, present evidence to the Judge, and on several occasions, to control altercations between the Plaintiff and the Defendant.
Hawkins-Byrd obtained his degree in criminal justice from John Jay College,[4] and worked in the New York City Court System as a bailiff for all circuit judges. It was in this capacity that Byrd met Judge Judith Sheindlin, who was the Supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan district.
When Sheindlin was offered her own TV series in 1996, Byrd wrote her a congratulatory letter, saying: “If you ever need a bailiff, I still look good in uniform." Judge Judy called him at home to accept, and he’s been her bailiff ever since.[5]